Medicinal flowers. VI. Absolute stereostructures of two new flavanone glycosides and a phenylbutanoid glycoside from the flowers of Chrysanthemum indicum L.: their inhibitory activities for rat lens aldose reductase

Two new flavanone glycosides, (2S)- and (2R)-eriodictyol 7-O-beta-D-glucopyranosiduronic acids, and a new phenylbutanoid glycoside, (2S, 3S)-1-phenyl-2,3-butanediol 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside, were isolated from the flowers of Chrysanthemum indicum L. cultivated in China together with eight flavonoids. The absolute stereostructures of the new compounds were determined on the basis of chemical and physicochemical evidence. Both of the new flavanone glycosides were found to show inhibitory activity for rat lens aldose reductase.     

Antioxidative flavanone glycosides from the branches and leaves of Viscum coloratum

Two new flavanone glucosides, (2S)-homoeriodictyol 7,4'-di-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (4) and (2R)-eriodictyol 7,4'-di-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (5) were isolated from the branches and leaves of Viscum coloratum (KOMAR) NAKAI (Loranthaceae), along with three known flavanone glucosides: (2S)-homoeriodictyol 7-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (1), (2S)-eriodictyol 7-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (2), and (2S)-naringenin 7-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (3). The structures of these compounds were elucidated using spectroscopic methods. The antioxidant activities of these isolated compounds were evaluated by colorimetric methods based on their scavenging effects on hydroxyl radicals and superoxide anion radicals, respectively. All the compounds showed potent albeit varied degrees of antioxidative activities and the structure-activity relationship is discussed.     

Two new acylated flavanone glycosides from the leaves and branches of Phyllanthus emblica

Two new acylated flavanone glycosides, (S)-eriodictyol 7-O-(6"-O-trans-p-coumaroyl)-beta-D-glucopyranoside (1) and (S)-eriodictyol 7-O-(6"-O-galloyl)-beta-D-glucopyranoside (2) were isolated from the leaves and branches of Phyllanthus emblica together with a new phenolic glycoside, 2-(2-methylbutyryl)phloroglucinol 1-O-(6"-O-beta-D-apiofuranosyl)-beta-D-glucopyranoside (3), as well as 22 known compounds. Their structures were determined by spectral and chemical methods.     

Total synthesis and absolute configuration of minalemine A, a guanidine peptide from the marine tunicate Didemnum rodriguesi

The total synthesis of the 3S,2S and 3R,2S diastereomers (1a and 1b) of minalemine A and the identification of the natural compound as the 3R,2S isomer is described. The key step in the synthesis is the preparation of the two enantiomers of the beta-amino diacid 3-(N-carboxymethyl)-aminodecanoic acid (Ncma), which were obtained by stereoselective alkylation with allyl bromide of two nonanoic acid imides bearing chiral oxazolidinones as chiral auxiliaries. Natural minalemine A shows identical 1H NMR and very similar 13C NMR spectra compared to the two synthetic diastereomers. Sufficient differences in their chromatographic behavior to allow conclusive identification were not found. However, the corresponding N-2-naphthoyl amides presented quite distinct circular dichroism spectra (CD), and these confirmed the 3R,2S configuration for the natural minalemines and the R configuration for the constituent beta-amino diacid, Ncma.     

Separation and optical resolution of a pair of atrop diastereomers of the octahedral rhodium(III) complex with a nine-membered S,S-chelate ring

Treatment of fac-[Rh(aet) 3] (aet = 2-aminoethanethiolate) with 2,2'-bis(bromomethyl)-1,1'-biphenyl gave a mononuclear rhodium(III) complex with a nine-membered S, S-chelate ring, fac-[Rh(aet)(L)] (2+) ([ 1] (2+), L = 2,2'-bis(2-aminoethylthiomethyl)-1,1'-biphenyl). Complex [ 1] (2+) afforded a pair of atrop diastereomers, Delta SS( S ax)/Lambda RR( R ax)-[ 1] (2+) ([ 1a] (2+)) and Delta SS( R ax)/Lambda RR( S ax)-[ 1] (2+) ([ 1b] (2+)), which involves the axial chirality ( R ax/ S ax) about a biphenyl moiety of L, besides the central chirality (Delta/Lambda) about a Rh (III) ion bound by two asymmetric ( R/ S) thioether donors. The atrop diastereomers ([ 1a] (2+) and [ 1b] (2+)) were successfully separated, isolated, and optically resolved, and the circular dichroism (CD) contribution from the axial chirality was evaluated by CD spectral analyses.     

Capillary electrophoresis for diastereomers of (R,S)-tetrahydroisoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid derivatized with (R)-4-nitro-7-(3-aminopyrrolidin-1-yl)-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole: effect of molecular geometries

Diastereomers derived from (R,S)-tetrahydroisoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid (Tic), a potential neurotoxin with a chiral fluorescence tagging reagent, (R)-4-nitro-7-(3-aminopyrrolidin-1-yl)-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (NBD-APy), are well resolved by capillary electrophoresis (CE). For a better understanding of the separation mechanism, a semiempirical computational method (i.e., AM1 method) is used to study the molecular geometry, relative energy, and size of the derivatives. The molecular sizes are estimated to be 216.3 and 240.6 cm3/mol for (R)-NBD-APy-(R)-Tic and (R)-NBD-APy-(S)-Tic, respectively. The CE elution order of the diastereomeric derivatives confirms the AM1 computational results: (R)-NBD-APy-(R)-Tic elutes before (R)-NBD-APy-(S)-Tic. The effects of running buffer pH and the addition of a chiral selector, beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD), on the separation are studied. In the presence of beta-CD, the migration behavior of the diastereomers is changed because of the formation of CD inclusion complexes. Study of the space-filling models for optimized conformations of the diastereomeric derivatives and beta-CD suggests that the geometries of the diastereomers decides that the diastereomers are incorporated into the CD cavity to form CD inclusion complexes with different volumes. Experimental results from CE separations conclude the same.     

Enhancement of diastereoselectivity in photodimerization of alkyl 2-naphthoates with chiral auxiliaries via inclusion within γ-cyclodextrin cavities

Irradiations of alkyl 2-naphthoates are known to result in four isomeric "cubane-like" photodimers: anti(HH)-2, syn(HH)-2, anti(HT)-2, and syn(HT)-2 where the anti(HH)-2, anti(HT)-2, and syn(HT)-2 consist of pairs of diastereomers. Here, chiral auxiliary and chiral microreactor strategies have been combined to achieve high diastereoselectivity in photodimerizations of an enantiomeric pair of 2-naphthoates with (R)- and (S)-1-methoxycarbonylethyl esters as chiral auxiliaries (1R and 1S). Thus, irradiations of their γ-cyclodextrin (γ-CD) complexes have been conducted. Fluorescence, IR, and NMR spectra of both enantiomers of 1 demonstrate that their γ-CD complexes are mainly 2:2 with the molecules of 1 in head-to-head orientations. Irradiation of the complexes in the solid state mainly resulted in anti(HH)-2. The absolute configuration of each diastereomer of anti(HH)-2 has been established for the first time here. The diastereomeric excesses (de's) of anti(HH)-2 from 1R and 1S were 94% and 86%, respectively. These de's are much higher than those found from irradiations in solution (55% for 1R and 1S), where the opposite diastereomeric form is in excess! Calculations of the energies of various conformations of the head-to-head 2:2 inclusion complexes were performed using the PM3 approach. The predicted major diastereomers based on the calculation are consistent with those found experimentally.     

Chiral recognition and resolution of the enantiomers of supramolecular triangular hosts: synthesis, circular dichroism, NMR, and X-ray molecular structure of [Li subset(R,R,R)-[CpRh(5-chloro-2,3-dioxopyridine)]3][Delta-Trisphat

The racemic triangular supramolecular host [CpRh(5-chloro-2,3-dioxopyridine)](3) (1) was prepared in high yield. Treatment with LiCl followed by addition of silver salt AgOTf gave the triflate salt species [Li subset[CpRh(5-chloro-2,3-dioxopyridine)](3)][OTf] (2). Subsequent anion metathesis using the optically pure chiral shift reagent [Cinchonidinium][Delta-Trisphat] produced a pair of diastereomers [Li subset(R,R,R)-[CpRh(5-chloro-2,3-dioxopyridine)](3)][Delta-Trisphat] (3a) and [Li subset(S,S,S)-[CpRh(5-chloro-2,3-dioxopyridine)](3)][Delta-Trisphat] (3b). The resolution of these diastereomers was achieved by fractional crystallization, and their stereochemistry relationship was established by circular dichroism studies. The X-ray molecular structure of 3a is reported and shows as an outstanding feature a chiral recognition between the Delta-Trisphat anion and a single enantiomer cation [Li subset(R,R,R)-[CpRh(5-chloro-2,3-dioxopyridine)](3)](+) manifested through a pi-pi interaction. (1)H NMR and circular dichroism studies in solution support the solid-state behavior.     

Chiral capillary electrophoresis applied to the determination of phenylglycidol enantiomers obtained from cinnamyl alcohol by asymmetric epoxidation using new titanium(IV) alkoxide compounds as catalysts

A capillary electrophoresis method for the simultaneous determination of phenylglycidol enantiomers in the presence of an excess of cinnamyl alcohol was developed. The effects of the nature, pH and concentration of the buffer, the nature and concentration of chiral selector, the addition of methanol or acetonitrile, and the capillary temperature on the chiral resolution of phenylglycidol enantiomers were studied. Separations were achieved using 20 mM succinylated beta-cyclodextrin dissolved in a 10 mM borate buffer (pH 10.0). Chiral resolution for the phenylglycidol enantiomers in the optimized electrophoretic conditions was higher than 2.0 with an analysis time less than 7 min. The method developed was validated in terms of selectivity, linearity, precision (instrumental repeatability, method repeatability, intermediate precision), the limits of detection and quantitation, and accuracy. Limits of detection of 6.5 mg/L and 8.3 mg/L for (2S,3S)-(-)-3-phenylglycidol ((S,S)-PG) and (2R,3R)-(+)-3-phenylglycidol ((R,R)-PG), respectively, were obtained. The method was applied to study the asymmetric epoxidation of cinnamyl alcohol with titanium(IV) alkoxide compounds as catalysts in order to evaluate their catalytic activity and stereoselectivity of the epoxidation processes.     

Stereo- and enantioselective determination of pesticides in soil by using achiral and chiral liquid chromatography in combination with matrix solid-phase dispersion

The separation of enantiomers and diastereomers of 8 commonly used pesticides was investigated by liquid chromatography (LC) using a Chiralcel OD column (cellulose tris-3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate as the chiral stationary phase) and a Pirkle-type Chirex 3020 column (urea derivative from the reaction of (R)-1-(alpha-naphthyl)ethylamine with (S)-tert-leucine, chemically bonded to 3-aminopropylsilanized silica as the chiral stationary phase). The pesticides studied included one organophosphorus insecticide (phenthoate), 3 triazole fungicides (uniconazole, diniconazole, and propiconazole), and 4 pyrethroids (fenpropathrin, beta-cypermethrin, beta-cyfluthrin, and alpha-fenvalerate). The enantiomers were separated within 20 min with a resolution of > or = 1.5 using a mixture of n-hexane and 2-propanol as the mobile phase for all the pesticides studied except propiconazole, for which only the 2 diastereomers were baseline separated. This method allows determination of the enantiomers or stereoisomers of the above pesticides in soil. The strategy was as follows: (1) First, the total concentration(s) of the enantiomer pair(s) of a chiral pesticide in soil was (were) determined by a newly developed matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) procedure, followed by silica-based LC quantification. The recoveries ranged from 76.5 to 93.6% with relative standard deviations of 6.0%. (2) Second, the enantiomeric ratio(s) (ER(s)) of the chiral pesticide was (were) determined by LC with a chiral stationary phase after fractionation of the MSPD extract by silica-based LC. The determined ERs or stereoisomeric ratio(s) (SR(s); for propiconazole, only the SR of the 2 diastereomers was determined) in soil samples spiked with the above 8 racemic pesticides agreed with those of the corresponding standard solutions. (3) Third, based on the total concentrations and the corresponding ERs, the concentration of each enantiomer in soil was calculated. The proposed method is rapid, precise, and sensitive, and is appropriate for the investigation of the stereo- and enantioselective degradation of pesticides in environmental media.     

Diastereoisomerism of thiol complexes of arsenic acids and pseudoasymmetry of arsenic: a 1H and 13C NMR study

Diastereoisomeric complexes of methylphenylarsinic acid and (L)-glutathione could be partially separated by HPLC, but the separated compounds rapidly racemized, presumably by pyramidal inversion at the arsenic atom. Hydrolysis of the diastereoisomeric complexes yielded methylphenylarsinous acid as a pair of enantiomers revealed by a 1H NMR study with an asymmetric lanthanide shift reagent. Methylphenylarsinous acid was also synthesized as an enantiomeric pair, shown by an asymmetric shift reagent experiment, by the hydrolysis of iodomethylphenylarsine. 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy were used to demonstrate that complexing of phenylarsonic acid with (R,S)-3-mercapto-1,2-propanediol and with (R,S)-1-mercapto-2-propanol yielded, in each case, a pair of enantiomers, PhAs[(R)-ligand)]2, PhAs[(S)-ligand)]2, in which the homomorphic ligands were diastereotopic, and a pair of diastereoisomers, PhAs[(R)-ligand][(S)-ligand], which differed from each other in the configuration about the pseudoasymmetric arsenic atom.     

A new flavanone glycoside from the dried immature fruits of Poncirus trifoliata

A new flavanone glycoside, (2R)-5-hydroxy-4'-methoxyflavanone-7-O-{beta-glucopyranosyl-(1-->2)-beta-glucopyranoside} (1), was isolated from the EtOAc extract of dried immature fruit of Poncirus trifoliata, together with three known compounds, (2S)-poncirin (2), (2S)-naringin (3), and (2S)-poncirenin (4). The structure of compound 1 was elucidated by spectroscopic data analysis, including 1D and 2D NMR experiments. Among the isolates, compound 2 exhibited considerable inhibitory activity against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) production, and mRNA expression in RAW 264.7 murine macrophage cells.     

Determination of cicletanine enantiomers in plasma by high-performance capillary electrophoresis.

A sensitive and selective high-performance capillary electrophoresis procedure was developed for the determination of S(+) and R(-) enantiomers of cicletanine in human plasma. The procedure consisted in extraction of the drug with diethyl ether and analysis by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography in a fused-silica capillary using gamma-cyclodextrins in the run buffers and ultraviolet detection. The method was linear from 10 to 500 ng/ml and the limit of detection was 10 ng/ml for each enantiomer in plasma samples. The within-run precision of the method, expressed as relative standard deviation, was 10.4 and 9.6% at 25 ng/ml for S(+) and R(-) cicletanine, and 4.2 and 4.6% at 500 ng/ml, respectively. This method has been used to follow the time course of the concentrations of the cicletanine enantiomers in human plasma after a single therapeutic dose of cicletanine given by mouth.     

Synthesis of fluorescent label, DBD-beta-proline, and the resolution efficiency for chiral amines by reversed-phase chromatography

DBD-d(and l)-beta-proline, new fluorescent chiral derivatization reagents, were synthesized from the reaction of 4-(N,N-dimethylaminosulfonyl)-7- fl uoro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole (DBD-F) with beta-proline. The racemic mixture synthesized was separated by a chiral stationary phase (CSP) column, Chiralpak AD-H, with n-hexane-EtOH-TFA-diethylamine (70:30:0.1:0.1) as the mobile phase. The dl-forms were decided according to the results obtained from a circular dichroism (CD) detector after separation by the CSP column. The fractionated enantiomers reacted with chiral amine to produce a couple of diastereomers. The labeling proceeded in the presence of 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide (EDC) and pyridine as the activation reagents. The reaction conditions were mild and no racemization occurred during the diastereomer formation. The resulting diastereomers fluoresced at around 570 nm (excitation at around 460 nm). Good linearity of the calibration curves was obtained in the range 1-75 pmol and the detection limits on chromatogram were less than 1 pmol. The separability of the diastereomers was compared with the diastereomers derived from DBD-d(or l)-proline. The resolution values (Rs) obtained from the diastereomers of three chiral amines with DBD-d(or l)-beta-proline were higher than those derived from DBD-d(or l)-proline, e.g. dl-phenylalanine methylester (dl-PAME), 2.23 vs 1.37; (R)(S)-1-phenylethylamine [(R)(S)-PEA], 2.09 vs 1.13; and (R)(S)-1-(1-naphthyl)ethylamines [(R)(S)-NEA], 5.19 vs 1.23. The results suggest that the position of COOH group on pyrrolidine moiety in the structures is one of the important factors for the efficient separation of a couple of the diastereomers.     

Stacking and separation of enantiomers by acetonitrile-salt mixtures in micellar electrokinetic chromatography

The feasibility of employing the "acetonitrile stacking" method in micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) for the on-line preconcentration and separation of enantiomers is demonstrated for the first time. The effects of various experimental parameters on the stacking and separation of three different pairs of optical isomers, i.e., two substituted naphthyl enantiomers and one dansylated-DL-amino acid, were examined. In particular, the effectiveness of the addition of acetonitrile and salt in the sample matrix to induce narrowing of the analyte bands was investigated in the presence of sodium cholate as the chiral surfactant micelle in the separation buffer. For example, it was found that the presence of both acetonitrile and 1% NaCl in the sample matrix (volume ratio = 2:1) led to a significant improvement of the peak height and resolution for the MEKC separation of a pair of R(-)/S(+)-1,1'-binaphthyl diyl hydrogen phosphate enantiomers when the injection sample size was relatively large (e.g., 12% capillary volume). Furthermore, the feasibility of combining salting-out solvent extraction (off-line) and acetonitrile stacking (on-line) as a novel approach for sample preconcentration in capillary electrophoresis was also demonstrated.     

Constituents of a fern, Davallia mariesii Moore. I. Isolation and structures of davallialactone and a new flavanone glucuronide

A new gamma-lactone derivative named davallialactone (4) and the 7-O-beta-D-glucuronide of (+/-)-eriodictyol (5a) have been isolated from Davallia mariessi Moore along with caffeic acid (1), 4-beta-D-glucopyranosylcaffeic acid (2) and 4-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-p-coumaric acid (3). The structures of the new compounds were determined by chemical and spectroscopic methods including two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (2D NMR) techniques, especially 1H-detected heteronuclear multiple-bond multiple-quantum coherence and long-range C-H J-resolved 2D NMR techniques.     

Cubane-type Fe4S4 clusters with chiral thiolate ligation: formation by ligand substitution, detection of intermediates by 1H NMR, and solid state structures including spontaneous resolution upon crystallization

Cubane-type clusters [Fe(4)S(4)(SR*)(4)](2-) containing chiral thiolate ligands with R* = CH(Me)Ph (1), CH(2)CH(Me)Et (2), and CH(2)CH(OH)CH(2)OH (3) have been prepared by ligand substitution in the reaction systems [Fe(4)S(4)(SEt)(4)]/R*SH (1-3, acetonitrile) and [Fe(4)S(4)Cl(4)](2-)/NaSR*(3, Me(2)SO). Reactions with successive equivalents of thiol or thiolate generate the species [Fe(4)S(4)L(4-n)(SR*)(n)](2-) (L = SEt, Cl) with n = 1-4. Clusters 1 and 2 were prepared with racemic thiols leading to the possible formation of one enantiomeric pair (n = 1) and seven diastereomers and their enantiomers (n = 2-4). Reactions were monitored by isotropically shifted (1)H NMR spectra in acetonitrile or Me(2)SO. In systems affording 1 and 2 as final products, individual mixed-ligand species could not be detected. However, crystallization of (Et(4)N)(2)[1] afforded 1-[SS(RS)(RS)] in which two sites are disordered because of occupancy of R and S ligands. Similarly, (Et(4)N)(2)[2] led to 2-[SSSS], a consequence of spontaneous resolution upon crystallization. The clusters 3-[RRRR] and 3-[SSSS] were obtained from enantiomerically pure thiols. Successive reactions lead to detection of species with n = 1-4 by appearance of four pairs of diastereotopic SCH(2) signals in both acetonitrile and Me(2)SO reaction systems. Identical spectra were obtained with racemic, R-(-), and S-(+) thiols, indicating that ligand-ligand interactions are too weak to allow detection of diastereomers (e.g., [SSSS] vs [SSRR]). The stability of 3 in Me(2)SO/H(2)O media is described.     

Determination of active components in Cynanchum chinense R. Br. by capillary electrophoresis

A method for the determination of 7-O-alpha-l-rhamnopyranosyl-kaempferol-3-O-beta-d-glucopyranoside (GL) and 7-O-alpha-l-rhamnopyranosyl-kaempferol-3-O-alpha-l-rhamnopyranoside (RH) in the traditional Chinese herb Cynanchum chinense R. Br. by capillary electrophoresis has been developed. With botate buffer (30 mmol/L, pH 9.50) as running buffer and an applied voltage of 20 kV, the compounds were completely separated within 6 min and detected at UV 254 nm. The correlation coefficients of the calibration curves for GL and RH were 0.9990 and 0.9992, respectively, over the concentration ranges (15.0-1000.0 and 12.0-1000.0 microg/mL), and the recoveries were from 91.4 to 107.1%.     

Enantioselective analysis of ibuprofen, ketoprofen and naproxen in wastewater and environmental water samples

A highly sensitive and reliable method for the enantioselective analysis of ibuprofen, ketoprofen and naproxen in wastewater and environmental water samples has been developed. These three pharmaceuticals are chiral molecules and the variable presence of their individual (R)- and (S)-enantiomers is of increasing interest for environmental analysis. An indirect method for enantioseparation was achieved by the derivatization of the (R)- and (S)-enantiomers to amide diastereomers using (R)-1-phenylethylamine ((R)-1-PEA). After initial solid phase extraction from aqueous samples, derivatization was undertaken at room temperature in less than 5 min. Optimum recovery and clean-up of the amide diastereomers from the derivatization solution was achieved by a second solid phase extraction step. Separation and detection of the individual diastereomers was undertaken by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). Excellent analyte separation and peak shapes were achieved for the derivatized (R)- and (S)-enantiomers for all three pharmaceuticals with peak resolution, R(s) is in the range of 2.87-4.02 for all diastereomer pairs. Furthermore, the calibration curves developed for the (S)-enantiomers revealed excellent linearity (r(2) ≥ 0.99) for all three compounds. Method detection limits were shown to be within the range of 0.2-3.3 ng L(-1) for individual enantiomers in ultrapure water, drinking water, surface water and a synthetic wastewater. Finally, the method was shown to perform well on a real tertiary treated wastewater sample, revealing measurable concentrations of both (R)- and (S)-enantiomers of ibuprofen, naproxen and ketoprofen. Isotope dilution using racemic D(3)-ibuprofen, racemic D(3)-ketoprofen and racemic D(3)-naproxen was shown to be an essential aspect of this method for accurate quantification and enantiomeric fraction (EF) determination. This approach produced excellent reproducibility for EF determination of triplicate tertiary treated wastewater samples.     

Chiral characterization of deprenyl-N-oxide and other deprenyl metabolites by capillary electrophoresis using a dual cyclodextrin system in rat urine

A chiral capillary electrophoresis method has been developed for the simultaneous separation of the enantiomers of deprenyl and eight of its metabolites, among them the recently described metabolite deprenyl-N-oxide. Although heptakis-(2,6-di-O-methyl)-beta-cyclodextrin (DIMEB) was suitable for the enantioresolution of deprenyl and its dealkylated derivatives, the enantiomers of deprenyl-N-oxide were just partly resolved. Carboxymethyl-beta-cyclodextrin (CMBCD) in as low as 2 mM concentration was capable of the enantiomer separation of all the nine examined compounds, however co-migration of 1R,2S-(-)-norephedrine and 1R,2R-(-)-pseudoephedrine, as well as 1S,2R-(+)-ephedrine and R-(-)-amphetamine was observed. This problem could be overcome by the use of a dual cyclodextrin system containing 4 mM DIMEB in addition to 2 mM CMBCD; simultaneous separation of all the compounds could be achieved. The optimized method was used for the analysis of rat urine samples after 10 days of treatment of animals with either R-(-)- or S-(+)-deprenyl. The stereospecific biotransformation of both deprenyl enantiomers was confirmed, and the stereoselectivity of N-oxide formation was demonstrated.